The native mountain pine beetle, no bigger than a grain of rice, is responsible for killing millions of acres of pine trees in the western United States. The current fast-moving beetle epidemic is bigger than any other in recorded history.

A gene variation that appears to predict the rate at which Alzheimer’s disease will progress has been uncovered by an international team of Alzheimer’s disease experts. Brigham Young University biology professor John S.K. Kauwe is co-first author on the paper.